|
Tag: Holy Spirit
Walking Intelligently
- Faith–“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Cor. 5:7
- Spirituality–“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” Gal. 5:16
- Consistency–“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” Eph. 4:1
- Love–“And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.” Eph. 5:2
- Wisdom–“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise.” Eph. 5:15
- Light–“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7
- Christlikeness–“Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” 1 John 2:6
These 7 verses all talk about our walk. Each verse brings us a facet of that walk. We must avail ourselves of every awareness, following Jesus is indeed a “walk.” We take steps that will lead us into an vast eternity with our Savior. We move spiritually from one place to a closer place. We walk forward, and not back. We move ahead, and each day closer to our Lord. Time, you see, only exists to bring us that much nearer to Jesus.
To walk means progression. It also is destiny. Some of the greatest works in literature is the book, “Pilgrim’s Progress,” by John Bunyan. It is a book about walking. We are all walking toward home. It is challenging to make this journey through tremendous issues. We all are making progress as we travel home.
The issues are “faith, spirituality, consistency, love, wisdom, light and christlikeness.” Which of these are we prepared to ditch? If we concentrate on each of these, we find that we can’t give up any of them. They all are dear and fundamental to an authentic faith.
Walking can be strenuous. When we walk it means we have direction and a goal in mind. It is almost never done aimlessly. As we walk, we begin to unfold these seven issues. We will find that the Father inserts us into situations and circumstances where we get to unveil these seven. We will enter into events where we take on certain qualities. As we walk we learn the behavior of our Lord. And that dear ones, can’t be all bad.
The Miracle of Polaroid
I can distinctly remember seeing my first “instant” photo develop. It was back in the dark ages of 1972. It was a miracle! Up to that time, you took pictures, but you had to wait a time for them to be processed. It was an assumption that after a week you would finally receive those photos, developed and a bit expensive.
As I watched the Polaroid develop before my eyes, something happened to me. Metaphorically a train was passing by, called technology, and I immediately jumped on board. My family upbringing was pathetically poor, but that didn’t matter. I was finally moving in a direction that made sense. And we all were on a more equal footing.
Those early “instant” photos, starting from a glop of blue-grey would change into a pretty neat image, right before your eyes. You did nothing, maybe you shook it in order to dry it quicker. Within minutes something tangible would happen. You would have a great photo of Uncle Willy.
I don’t want to be melodramatic, but I think we profoundly changed when we finally discovered the Polaroid instant camera. Polaroid sold millions within months. They couldn’t keep them in stores–they sold-out! And yet, in retrospect it was just a baby-step into our technology of today. Yet, it was the first step, and we would never be the same.
In the presence of the Lord God, we discover many moments like this. He continually reveals himself in fresh and wondering ways. He astonishes us with continually fresh and spiritually amazing ways. As we come to know him, even deeper and more profound. We stand in the driveway and watch our understanding develop. It is a process that insists on staggering us. He is not a novelty gadget, he is everlasting. We choose to wait on Him.
Early CCM- Spotlight on Nancy Honeytree
*****
Another incredible blast from the past. “Rattle Me, Shake Me.” This is one of the best from one of CCMs greatest–Nancy Honeytree. I think I can date this about 1974.
Of course, I hope that it blesses, and gives you another layer to our simple faith. Honeytree was a definite force in the 70s, she ministered with a simplicity and wholeness that is a bit of an astringent to a fat and jaded faith of her day. I guess “freshness” would be the way I could describe her. But you’ll quickly pick this up as you listen to her describe herself. It is almost impossible to not like her music, and her “story.”
Honeytree is a jewel, she communicates musically on a different level. Her lyrics are simple, but she has a momentum that carries her through walls of pride and conflict. I hope that she blesses you deeply.
*****
Related Articles
- Various Artists – Superjubilation (oldchristianmusic.wordpress.com)
Broken Believers 